Lemons

Lemons growing on Pill Island, Lake Worth, Fla. Citrus fruits of all kinds can be grown in Florida, but the grapefruit and orange take the lead. The lemon, which is not so hardy as the orange, is grown mostly in the more southern counties of the state that are free from winter frosts. Lemon orchards are generally set out with trees grown from a bud that has been grafted on a sour orange stock. Some lemons are also grown from cuttings as are the lime and citron. The tree is much like the pear in appearance, producing long branches, with the fruit growing near the end of these branches. Careful pruning is necessary to protect the fruit from injury and to facilitate gathering. Lemons ripen naturally during the winter months, but as the greatest demand for them is during the summer months and the fruit that matures on the tree does not keep well, it is picked green and stored cool, dark warehouses, where extreme temperatures are avoided. When time for marketing arrives, they are taken from these warehouses, graded as to size, wrapped in tissue and packed in boxes for shipment. The wild lemon comes from India and was discovered by the Arabs. It was brought to Europe about the time of the Crusades. It is now extensively cultivated in Italy, adjacent islands and in Spain and Portugal. Most of the lemons that are imported into this country come from Italy. The flower of the lemon is purplish on the outside and is less fragrant than that of the orange. Lemon oil, the familiar lemon extract, is drawn from the rind of pressure or distillation.

Scan courtesy of Roy Winkelman. Image retouched and converted to anaglyph in 2005 by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida. View this image using 3D glasses with the red lens over
the left eye and the blue lens over the right eye.